Whakarongo

“He wahine ngahau, he wahine whakatoi, he wahine mutunga kē mai o te ringa hora o te aroha nui ki te tangata” -Tā Tīmoti Kāretu.

He waiata ā-ringa tēnei i titoa rā e te ihopūmanawa, e Ngoi Te Kumeroa Pēwhairangi (Ngoingoi) i te tau 1980.

I mōhiotia whānuitia a Ngoi i ōna pūkenga tito waiata, i tana kirikawa ki ngā mahi ako me tana ngākau nui ki te tangata. I titoa te waiata nei i te marae o Pākirikiri i Tokomaru, i tētehi wānanga i whakatūria rā mō tētehi ohu pāpāho, o te hōtaka e kīia nei ko ‘Koha’. Nō muri mai ia ka āpitihia atu he whiti anō hei whakahihiri i wāna tauira me te whakahāngai hoki ki ngā kaupapa whakarauora i te reo Māori i taua wā.

This waiata ā-ringa was composed in 1980 by one of our most prolific songwriters and reo Māori champions, Ngoi Pēwhairangi. Ngoi was highly regarded for her songwriting skills, her dedication to teaching the language and her love of all people. The song was composed at Pākirikiri Marae in Tokomaru Bay, during a workshop organised for a production crew for Television New Zealand’s ‘Koha’ programme. She later added another verse to inspire her students and align with the language revitalisation initiatives of that time.